Periodontitis affects the bone supporting each tooth and its surrounding tissue, when this happens the gum tissue, which should be attached firmly around the tooth tends to move away from the tooth, so creating space pockets between the gum and the tooth.

These pockets become filled with bacteria, and as the pocket deepens, the severity of the infection increases, which leads to further bone erosion and tissue loss. The aim of the treatment for periodontitis is to clean out these pockets of bacteria.

The degree of treatment will depend on the amount of damage, which in turn is linked to the depth of the gum pockets as measured by the dentist. If the depth is no greater than 5mm, then a thorough cleaning out of the gum pockets can be achieved by a cleaning procedure known as scaling and root planing, along with the administering of antibiotics.

Scaling.

The build up of dental plaque is the prime cause of periodontitis, and the plaque soon hardens into tartar. The scaling procedure removes the tartar build from the surface of the teeth and from beneath the gums. Thus cleaning out the gum pocket and eliminating bacteria If the periodontal condition is not too serious the gum tissue will re grow and heal around the tooth.

Root Planing.

Due to the gum disorder, frequently small lumps may appear on the root surfaces of the tooth. Root planing removes these bumps and smooths the root surface so preventing any further accumulation of tartar.

Antibiotic Treatment.

Along with these cleaning methods, the dentist may use antibiotics to counteract the infection also, medicines such as doxycycline or an antibiotic mouth wash containing chlorhexadine gluconate may be recommended.

Other forms of antibiotic treatment can be chosen by the dentist, sometimes the use of gels and threads inserted into the gum pocket are selected. These medications act as slow release capsules and release the antibiotic into the pocket over a period of several days.

Such topical medicines have been found to be efficient in lowering bacterial levels following the cleansing treatment, and may help in the prevention of any further gum infection.

If the periodontitis is of a more advanced nature, then the dentist may advise treatment by gum surgery. This would certainly be the case if the depth of the gum pockets has reached a depth of greater than 5mm. The gum surgery may involve pocket size reduction surgery (flap surgery) or an operation on the gums to replace damaged tissue by a process of grafting (bone, tissue graft surgery)

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